7 Useful Practices to Kick Start Your
Day

Our hectic lifestyles often have us running around in circles wondering
what to do next. It's not that we don't have an agenda in place; it's
that we often feel scattered or derailed when a wrench is thrown into
the plans.

Here are 7 useful
practices to kick start your day no matter what happens to
threaten your sanity! You can implement some, one, or any combination
of them into your daily routine. Either way it's bound to give you a
boost!

Here's how to kick start
your day:

1. Upon
rising take a minute or two to stretch. According to the
Mayo Clinic, stretching increases muscle
flexibility,
which improves daily performance and overall movement. It
also increases blood flow to your muscles and your brain, while at the
same it relaxes you, thus easing tension and stress.

2. Take a moment for mindfulness reflection.
After stretching, slow down your breathing by taking in a few deep
breaths and then concentrate on how you feel, what you see, and what
you smell. Not only will being mindful sharpen
your senses, it will help prepare you for the day ahead by increasing
your awareness and ability to focus.

3. Have a little book of inspirational quotes or
passages handy. Have some inspirational quotes handy from
which you can choose one
appropriate for the day ahead. For example:

"A wise man will make more
opportunities than he
finds." Francis Bacon

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream
always wins - not through strength, but through persistence."
Buddha

Whose day wouldn't hold promise with a fresh, bold
attitude to begin it?

4. Visualize a successful outcome for the day. Go
over what you want to accomplish for the day and visualize it
turning out well. Of course there are always little glitches to contend
with, so see yourself dealing successfully with anything that may
threaten to get in the way. Visualizing is a great way to anticipate
what lies ahead and alerts you to any possibilities. Indeed, research
has shown that both physical and psychological reactions in certain
situations can be significantly improved with visualization.
An advantage indeed!

5. Take a moment for gratitude. Acknowledge all the good
things you have going for you – your health,
your family, your opportunities and everything else going well in your
life. When you appreciate what you have, somehow more good things find
their way to you. Likewise, studies have shown that maintaining a sense of gratitude
can help you sustain a
more positive mood and sense of well being throughout the day.

6. Let go of any negative thoughts or grudges you
may be harboring. Know that harboring ill feelings or
negativity towards someone will
only drag you down and prevent you from being at your best. Keeping
your head clear will leave room for creativity and all the productive
things you want to accomplish for the day. Letting go and forgiving
others is also good for your heart. A study
from the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found forgiveness and letting go
to be associated with a lower heart rate and blood pressure as well as
relieving stress. Having a healthy heart and mind would certainly help
anyone’s overall performance on a daily basis.

7. Come up with a personal positive
affirmation to motivate you. Invent a slogan, or saying, that
pertains to you and will inspire you
to be at your best. It could be something like, "I endeavor to make a
positive difference whenever I can," or, "Challenges help me grow". It
has been shown that positive affirmations
(realistic ones, of course) serve as a great tool to program your
subconscious mind to help you perform well and have a productive mindset.

As many athletes, performers, business people and
politicians can attest to, there are many little techniques you can
employ to help you rise to an occasion - in this case to positively
kick start your day. So why not begin every day with these
helpful little practices?
Related articles: